In 2024, we invested a record £25 million in our central southern England overhead network maintenance programme; this unprecedented investment has directly resulted in a 20% reduction in power cuts caused by trees and vegetation coming into contact with electricity lines.
A further £25 million is now being invested this year, reaffirming our commitment to delivering a safe, reliable, electricity supply to the 3.1 million homes and businesses in the communities we're proud to serve across the south.
These essential works are carried out, all-year-round and in all weathers, by our highly-skilled team of 84 arborists, surveyors, trainees, and apprentices - some of whom you can meet in the video below. Their high level of technical and environmental knowledge not only works to keep power flowing to customers, but also protects and enhances local environments and biodiversity.
Over the past twelve months, the team has walked nearly 15,000 kilometres or 10,000 miles - that's the equivalent of walking from London to Sydney - to inspect and maintain the overhead lines that power communities in the south.
Working in harmony with technology and nature
Our arboreal maintenance and management plans are designed from the outset to care for the environment. The team’s work is carefully planned to balance the needs of the network and our customers, with those of natural habitats.
Gary Ellcome, SSEN’s Tree Maintenance Delivery and Performance Manager says:
“Before any work begins, the team employs specialist equipment, including infrared cameras, along with ecological surveys, to detect wildlife activity - such as nesting birds, squirrel dreys or bat nests.
“This ensures we know about the wildlife that’s made its home in the area, and can either temporarily halt any planned works or carefully continue with minimal disruption to local habitats.
“Our teams assess every tree in the vicinity of the overhead network, so we can protect ecosystems while supplying our customers with the resilient electricity they need.”
Working with – and for – our communities
A key area of SSEN’s arboreal maintenance works is the vital collaboration with communities and especially landowners, whose consent is needed to access and maintain the network.
Eliane Algaard, SSEN’s Director of Customer Operations says:
“We live and work in the areas we serve, so we know how important it is to care for these communities, while respecting and understanding the needs of our customers.
“Our job is to make sure everyone has the power they need in their homes and businesses, so we’re grateful to the landowners who support our work. We’re always willing to discuss with them our planned works prior to us being given access to areas of the network that require maintenance.
“It’s by keeping these conversations flowing, that they are helping us to keep the power flowing safely and reliably for everyone.”
Combining efficiency with expertise
By building a strong and skilled in-house team, we've improved our operational efficiency to deliver more work this year, for the same investment as last year.
In 2023/24, we completed maintenance on 33,678 spans (1,674 miles of network), increasing to 41,981 spans (2,086 miles) in 2024/25. The team has already completed work on 7,000 of the 46,232 spans planned for this year: a total of over 2,300 miles of overhead lines.
